The Ohio State University Buckeyes sit uncomfortably with a record of 4-0.  Yes they are undefeated, but they have not played up to potential and expectations. Many think Braxton Miller is a Heisman Trophy candidate and even though it is hard to argue 14 touchdowns in 4 games he is not playing particularly well.

He is running the ball effectively, but he is making very poor decisions at the time of the snap.  He is really struggling to know when to hand it off and when to keep it on those option plays, and that is making it easy for opposing teams to defend.

His passing has been poor, even though sometimes he shows glimpses.  Miller has been bailed out by his receivers quite a few times and is not connecting on the easy passes he should be.

Yes, the Buckeyes have the Urban Meyer spread offense, but they cant forget the basics.  The Bucks are very solid at Running Back.  Carlos Hyde will return this week at Michigan State, and Jordan Hall is coming off of a 105 yard game with an average of 6.2 yards per carry.

Rod Smith is also showing promise and should remain a solid contributor for the remainder of the season.  The Wide Receivers for the Buckeyes are a question mark.  To Braxton Miller’s defense, the receivers are failing to get separation and are running poor routes.

The defense is solid.  They have given up some big plays this season but they have come up with many themselves.  The secondary is comparable to the Green Bay Packers as they are both high risk high reward in the sense that they attack the ball and go for interceptions.

The Buckeyes open up their Big Ten portion of the schedule Saturday at Michigan State.  They need to play much better on both sides of the ball in order to get the win and go to 5-0.  Braxton Miller needs to make much better decisions, and the receivers have to get open in order for him to get the ball downfield.

The defense will have quite a load to handle in Spartan RB Le’Veon Bell who has looked fantastic this season.  Michigan State is coming off of a win against Eastern Michigan, but the previous week they looked terrible against Notre Dame.

It remains to be seen how this game will play out, but one thing is known for sure, and that is the excitement that this game, and the remainder of the Big Ten season are bound to present.

Week 2 recap:

Although week two of the young college football season may have seemed uneventful, there were some games that deserve recognition.

Everything went according to plan for the top 7 teams in the country as Alabama, USC, LSU, Oregon, Oklahoma, Florida State, and Georgia all cruised to victory.

The same can’t be said for #8 Arkansas who was upset by Louisiana-Monroe in overtime.  Louisiana-Monroe rallied back from a 21-7 deficit at halftime.  They also accumulated 550 total yards compared to Arkansas who only totaled 377 yards.

Michigan State kept the train rolling with a 41-7 win over Central Michigan. Le’Veon Bell didn’t go over 200 yards.  In fact he didn’t even go over 100 yards, but he did add 2 touchdowns to the beat down.

Tajh Boyd kept Clemson rolling as well as they took down Ball State down with ease in a 52-27 victory.  Boyd threw for 229 yards and 3 touchdowns keeping his case as a possible Heisman candidate in tact.

Wisconsin had a very disappointing road loss to Oregon State in what many thought should have been a fairly easy win.  Ohio State was less than impressive in their 31-16 victory of UCF even though Braxton Miller did have 3 rushing touchdowns along with a passing touchdown.

Virginia Tech looked like Virginia Tech in a 42-7 rout over Austin Peay and Texas destroyed New Mexico.  Arizona upset Oklahoma State a week after they put up 84 points.

Michigan upset fans again by squeaking by Air Force.  However, Denard Robinson threw for 208 yards and 2 touchdowns, and rushed for 218 yards and two touchdowns.  Kansas State put a beat down on Miami, 52-13 and Florida took down Texas A&M 20-17 in Texas A&M’s SEC debut.

Although, it wasn’t as exciting as week one, it was still an exciting weekend of football, and as week three comes along there should be quite a few good games that could shake up the national championship discussions.

Finally, the college football season is underway.   It was an exciting weekend as always with some great games and plays including, quite possibly, the catch of the year.

That catch of the year came from Ohio State’s Devin Smith who made a leaping and twisting one handed grab in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown.  The Buckeyes started off slow and looked like they were so anxious that they played uptight.  However, as soon as the second quarter came along the Buckeyes rolled.  Braxton Miller accounted for 368 of the Buckeyes 538 yards with 207 in the air and 161 on the ground along with three total touchdowns.

Fellow Big Ten school, Michigan State, barely got by Boise State and rode the back of Le’Veon Bell who rushed for 210 yards and two touchdowns and added six catches for 55 yards.

Sticking with the Big Ten, Michigan did not fare too well against the Crimson Tide of Alabama.  Michigan’s poor play was a big disappointment to many as they were expected to be very good this season. Denard Robinson was not only shut down by the Alabama defense, but he also played poorly by making some bad decisions.

However, Alabama rolled.  Their offensive line was dominant and opened up some major holes for their running backs to get through and out into space.  AJ McCarron controlled the game from the beginning and was mistake free.  The Alabama defense looked like they will have the best defense in the country, yet again.

Former number one in the polls, USC, took down Hawaii with ease but still lost their ranking to Alabama.  Heisman favorite Matt Barkley threw for 372 yards and 4 touchdowns including 2 to Robert Woods.  Marqise Lee added 10 catches for 197 yards and a touchdown as well.

Oklahoma did not play like fourth ranked team in the country as they looked bad against UTEP.  South Carolina squeaked by Vanderbilt.  Oregon was up huge at halftime and then stopped scoring and ended with a 57-34 victory over Arkansas State.

West Virginia took down Marshall 69-34 with Geno Smith accounting for 5 touchdowns.  LSU looked solid without the Honey Badger and Clemson took down Auburn behind Andre Ellington and his 228 rushing yards.  This weekend recap can’t go without mentioning the 84-0 victory Oklahoma State had over Savannah State. Finally, Virginia Tech defeated Georgia Tech by a field goal in overtime escaping another opening game loss.

This was a very exciting weekend of college football and the rest of the season should be no different.  Alabama should continue to roll, and USC should keep up the offense for the rest of the season, potentially creating a great matchup for the national title.

In the middle of the Top 25 are some legendary teams that are looking for their return to glory. They may have had successful seasons in the past, but 2011 proved to not be their best. Starting off the weekend:

15. Wisconsin

“We all know that Wisconsin has always been good at sports, so it’s no surprise to see them being in the polls. I don’t see them being anywhere high up but I also don’t see them being anywhere towards the bottom. They will most likely hold their place around the middle of the polls for the entire season because they don’t have the players to take them to the top right now.”

Allie Balog, CSF Associate Editor

“The Wisconsin Badgers have a lot to replace this season. The loss of Russell Wilson, Nick Toon, and the entire right side of their offensive line will be a lot to overcome. However, after scoring 39 touchdowns and rushing for nearly 2,000 yards last season Montee Ball decided to come back for his last season. He will provide most of the offense for Wisconsin as they seem to be in a bit of rebuilding this year.”

Garrett Mayers, CSF Writer/Contributor

14. Michigan State

“Michigan State is out to prove how good they are in more than just basketball. They are slowly becoming one of those schools that schools don’t want to play because they are determined. Michigan State doesn’t like to lose in anything and that they will do their best to ensure that they are ranked well in this season’s polls. It’s just a matter of how good their players are this season that will be the final factor.”

Allie Balog, CSF Associate Editor

“Michigan State is looking to go undefeated at home this year, but they can only do that if they put forth everything they have. They will require speed and defense to get past teams like Michigan and Iowa. Mark Dantonio has a tough schedule ahead of him and the Spartans, but they just need to remember to keep up the effort.”

Elizabeth Garabedian, CSF Writer/Contributor

13. Arkansas

“Unfortunately for Arkansas, Bobby Petrino was a much better play-caller than he was motorcyclist. The Razorbacks already had an uphill battle, trying to knock off LSU and Bama in the SEC West, but Petrino’s abrupt firing has all but knocked them out of the picture. Still, quarterback Tyler Wilson will post big numbers and will have the Razorbacks in the Top 25.”

Jeff Dunbar, CSF Senior Editor

“A rocky offseason saw the dismissal of Bobby Petrino and the loss of playmakers on both sides of the ball, but the Razorbacks have the talent to overcome the challenges created. QB Tyler Wilson, already pegged by some as the top pick in next year’s NFL Draft, will be even better in 2012. He’ll be joined by a group of unproven, but skilled players on offense and defense who look to make an impact in the SEC.”

Anthony Manzella, CSF Writer/Contributor

12. Kansas State

“Kansas State is racking up a bunch of preseason awards for student-athletes and all-Americans, but if they are looking to be a top contender, they need to keep that up when the fall arrives. Collin Klein already has made his mark for the Wildcats, so as long as he can encourage the rest of the offense to do the same, Kansas State is on its way to redeem glory.”

Elizabeth Garabedian, CSF Writer/Contributor

“The Wildcats surprised some last year, going 10-3 and losing to high-powered Arkansas in the AT&T. That will not be the case this year, however. Amassing over 3,000 combined yards and 40 touchdowns, QB Collin Klein enters the 2012 season a legitimate Heisman contender. Top WR Chris Harper and RB John Hubert return and will join Klein to create a dangerous offense.”

Anthony Manzella, CSF Writer/Contributor

11. TCU

“The Horned Frogs finally have their shot playing with the big boys. A depleted Big 12 Conference got a huge shot in the arm when TCU and West Virginia joined the fold. Head coach Gary Patterson has shown that his teams fear no one and can perform on the big stage. The big test now is if they have the depth to make through a tough conference schedule. With a Texas program still trying to fight its way back to what it once was and a Baylor team minus RG3, look for TCU to show that they belong in their inaugural season in their new conference.”

Jeff Dunbar, CSF Senior Editor

“The Horned Frogs are a very interesting case this season as they are now part of the Big 12. TCU will be returning most of their high powered offense, but they did lose 3 starting offensive lineman. The question will linger all season as to if TCU will be able to handle the Big 12.”

Garrett Mayers, CSF Writer/Contributor

March may inevitably be the most exhilarating month of the year.

Temperatures increase. Grass gets greener. Days grow longer.

And while the bounce of a basketball is heard through television sets across the country in celebration of March Madness, something is just a bit different about attending live games and spending time behind the scenes (and not having to sit through multiple commercials.)

Basketball came alive at the second and third rounds of the tournament in Columbus, Ohio, as players, coaches, fans, media staff, and event workers prepared for a round of six enticing matchups. Emotions ran high from the court to the stands to the locker room, and having the opportunity to witness it all was incredible.

Passing nervous faces on their way to the press room, there was no way I could even imagine putting myself in the shoes of the talented athletes from NC State, Georgetown, St. Louis, Memphis, Belmont, San Diego State, LIU Brooklyn, and Michigan State. All their hard work and dedication of the past season had led to that Thursday, and four of them were going home after just one game.

Jokes shared and tears shed were both symbols of excitement and passion for the road to New Orleans.

Rick Majerus’ discussion about Twitter was one to remember: “I don’t see the point of Twitter. ‘I went to the beach. The water was wet.’ What is that?”

Joe Pastner taking the blame for Memphis’ loss to St. Louis for the sake of his players was more than admirable.

Brian Conklin’s heartbreaking, tearful press conference after his final career game was undoubtedly powerful for all basketball fans alike.

And speaking with a member of NC State’s coaching staff after earning a spot in the Sweet Sixteen was unforgettable: “We’re so excited. This hasn’t happened for us in a long time.”

You see it all on TV, and then you see it in person.

It opens up your eyes and redefines what college basketball means to you. It doesn’t mean creating a successful bracket or winning a hefty sum of money for lucky picks, and it has nothing to do with sitting at your computer waiting for the exact moment tickets go on sale for the three games in New Orleans.

It is about putting yourself in the game and rooting for not only your favorite team but the team putting forth the most effort. It is about sympathizing with those who lose after fighting a tough battle and staying proud of the National Champion for their skill and perseverance. For the fans, each individual tournament may lost only a few short weeks, but March Madness in itself can last a lifetime.

Photo courtesy of CBS and the NCAA.